We Were Sinners, We Were Saints
by nocturne tigress
Summary: Two new Dragonesses show up at the temple. Master Fung sends everyone to school in the US. An angry bean is trying to take over the world. And, as if that's not enough, the six friends have to deal with the ultimate evil...teenage life. RaiOC ClayOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hola****, this is Tigress-san. This is my second ****fic****, but my first for XS. Please enjoy, but remember this-flames-**_**from anyone**_**-will get less response than would be expected from a brick wall. DISCLAIM: I own no one but Maya. Kirsten belongs to Flustered Vampire**

**We were Sinners, We were Saints**

Prologue-Quest's End

Two girls approached the huge, whitewashed temple wall apprehensively. It was early morning, so early that the sun had not quite yet risen, and the sleepy world was bathed in shades of gray.

Kirsten Jay was tall and built like a dancer, having dirty blond hair and light green eyes. She was dressed simply and for travel- a pair of loose fitting jeans, a black tee shirt and a pair of hiking boots. Behind her padded a large German Shepard dog, panting softly. The brook they'd stopped at was a long time past, and the dog's fur was thick. Kirsten also wore a rucksack. Inside were the whole trio's worth of CDs, three sets of uniforms-she doubted they'd be needing them for long, they were almost Wuddai, and many sets of clothes.

She was tan, but lighter than her friend, for she was from America, and generally an English speaker, but she knew the Mandarin dialect well, naturally. She'd grown up in Wyoming, on a horse racing ranch, though she'd traveled a lot as a teenager and could therefore ride very well and was at ease with large animals. Actually, most animals liked her well, as they should. She was the Dragon of Life. Kirsten's power was pretty much all-inclusive. She could raise the dead, magically heal minor wounds, and summon animals, though she did this sparingly beacause they had the tendancy to be finicky and backfirish. Her main prowess lay in sensitivity to human feeling. This was useful enough and had proved itself more times than one.

Maya Vasquez stood a full three inches shorter than Kirsten. Her form wasn't as flawless as Kirsten's either, but it was close. Chocolaty, straight hair showed her Latino heritage, though her stormy gray eyes stood out in Rio. She was almost opposite of Ki, outfitted in a pair of old, worn capris and a white hoodie and barefoot, despite the biting fall temps. However, more like Ki, an animal also followed her-a silver-blue tabby cat with large, irregular markings. She too had a backpack. Inside were street clothes, one or two personal affects, and a small, thin, black laptop that the two of them shared.

Maya was tanned-she was one of two Brazilian Dragons. She'd lived in Rio with her older brother Aaron and their band of friends for a while until, at the age of thirteen, she found that her brother had been murdered. Now, here she was, though she, like the rest, had no idea how. Kirsten had spent a year or so with Maya before her brother died in Rio, mostly by coincidence. Though her accent was lost, Maya still spoke Portuguese to Ki when it was private, or when she was telling someone off. Maya was the Dragon of Storm-if she wasn't careful, her emotions could spark a thunderstorm or downpour, but usually she was.

They had no place to go. Their temple in the East had been attacked and destroyed by Hannibal Bean and likely Chase Young. So, they packed up wand went to the only other temple they knew existed-the Western Dragon Temple. They did not know what they would fine there, or if they'd be permitted to stay. They did, however, have an excellent feeling that something huge was about to happen.

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**Continue? Let it burn? You tell me...**


	2. I don't Speak English

**Hey. Okay, there is some Portuguese in this story. There'll probably be more later, but translations are marked like this: **word_(translation)_**. Sorry if it's hard to read like that.

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Chapter 1-I don't speak English

**Kirsten**

The door opened as soon as we stepped in front of it. Maya backed up with a jump. Still, we managed some semblance of tough as the door swung open to reveal a short, young monk-probably no older than thirteen, I'd wager.

"Who are you?" His accent and dialect were perfect-he must have grown up here to be so good.

"Xiaolin warriors," I replied. This boy's aura was good. Innocent and good. "Our temple's been destroyed. Please, give us shelter." He looked down a moment and then gazed back at me.

"What is your name?"

"Kirsten Jay."

"Maya Vasquez."

"I see. I am Omi. Wait a moment, please. Master Fung needs to meet you." The door swung closed again and I turned to Maya, giving a weary smile.

"Siddown, Brazi. We're home." Maya grinned at the nickname I had given her when we first met. She went to join me, resting gratefully with our backs against the cool temple wall. We sat quietly for nearly ten minutes and we nearly fell asleep.

We leapt up when the door swung open again, this time revealing five forms rather than one. Omi was to our immediate left, holding his hands in front of him and beaming widely. Next to him was a tall, muscular blond wearing a…cowboy hat? Yup, a ten-gallon hat sat on white-blond hair, falling just short of a pair of crystalline blue eyes that showed his happiness at new friends. As we looked, he touched his hat and grinned in welcome, paired with a murmur of "Howdy…" His Texas accent was thick, and my heart leapt at having another American around, especially a cute one.

To Tex's right was a thin, solid-looking elderly man dressed in blue robes. He was bald and emanated power. I bowed to him instinctively. He was obviously the master. Maya did the same. He bowed back to us, but not as low as we had. Moving on was a girl-the only one, it seemed-dressed in clothes exactly the same as our uniforms. Her hair was raven-black and shiny, falling almost down to her waist. Lastly, still holding an iPod with headphones in, was a boy with a complexion similar to Maya's-I wondered if he, too, was from Brazil. His hair was brown as hers, but his eyes were a bright, mischievous green.

They looked us over as we had done to them, and the Master spoke.

"I am Master Fung. Welcome, young Dragons, to the Western temple."

"Dragons?!" Omi spoke up. "I thought they were only warriors!"

"No, Omi, there _is_ one other Dragon temple."

"Was," I corrected, bowing my head. "It was destroyed be Hannibal Bean. That's…that's why we're here." Master Fung nodded.

"I thought as much. You are the Eastern Daughters?" We nodded. "Of course. These are my pupils. Omi, you have already met. These are Clay, Kimiko, and Raimundo. Headphones out, Raimundo, if you please." The darker boy removed his headphones, letting them fall out of the pocket where the iPod obviously was.

"I'm Kirsten," I said, leading, as usual. "I'm the Life Dragon. That's David," I added, noting that Davie had crept out from behind me to sniff Clay's boots.

"Maya. The Storm Dragon," Maya continued, grinning and catching her cat as it leapt into her arms.

"Oh, what a sweet kitty!" the girl called Kimiko exclaimed, running over to stroke the tabby. "What's his name?"

"Chuva," Maya replied.

"Rain." We looked up to see Raimundo looking at us with surprise. "You know Portuguese?"

"Nenhum_(none)_," Maya replied dryly, transferring Chuva to Kimiko's arms. "Nao Portuguese aqui_(No Portuguese here)_." Raimundo beamed.

"Your rooms are in the Dragon House. You'll all sleep in the main room for now. You won't be here long." The words sounded ominous.

"What all are you?" I wondered aloud.

"I'm Water!" Omi exclaimed, rushing up to shake our hands.

"Earth," Clay said, coming over more slowly and reservedly, but also shaking our hands. His grin was warm and his eyes seemed to spark when he greeted me.

"I'm Fire," Kimiko added, still petting Chuva. "And call me Kimi."

"Which leaves Wind," Raimundo finished. He shook my hand, too. "That's me. Psyche," he added with a grin, pulling his hand out of the way when Maya tried to shake it. "Sorry, menina_(girl)_, you gotta be quicker than that." She just laughed. "By the way, you guys can call me Rai. My full name's too long."

"Nice. Can I have my cat back?" she asked Kimi good-naturedly.

"Oh! Right! Dave, heel," I commanded. The German padded back to my side and sat. "Will you let us keep them? We're very attached to our pets," I told Master Fung, looking at him hopefully.

"You may. I don't see to becoming a problem. But like I said, you won't be here for much longer." There it was again. Maya set Chuva down on the ground where he curled up between Dave's paws. We both looked at him.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, blanching at the prospect of being homeless again. I really wanted to pursue this Clay guy.

"I will tell all of you at dinner later. You have to get settled in first. Monks, please lead our guests to the House. We have electricity, if you have laptops or any such thing in need of charging."

"And hot water, so you can all shower," Kimi added.

"Y'all must be tired," Clay piped, falling into step with me. "How far've you traveled?"

"All the way across China. We had a little help from our Wuu, but after a while we had to stop using it," I replied, looking behind us to make sure the animals were following.

"Thanks for taking us in," Maya said gratefully. She rubbed the spot on her arm where her tattoo was, marking her as the Storm Dragon. I had one, too, on the same shoulder. They were our markers, but we didn't know if these monks had them. "It hurts again, Ki." I sighed.

"I know. Mine's been throbbing for ages. We'll have to ask Master Fung about it."

"What?" Rai asked, looking over at me.

"Our tattoos," Maya said, turning so he could see the black marking on her bare left shoulder. I did the same, and his eyes bugged out big time, like it was some evil.

**Maya**

When we showed Rai our marks, he freaked out. We didn't know why, and wondered if they were really some sign of evil, but that was before he spoke.

"DANG it! Master Fung won't let _me_ get one, but a pair of _girls_ we don't even _know _show up and they have some!" We grinned in relief.

"They aren't just for fun, dingus," I told him with a laugh. "They represent our elements. See? Mine's a lightning bolt." It was true. Mine was about as long as my thumb, a narrow lightning bolt with dots on either side. Ki's was a heart with intricate swirls of skin inside of it. Hers was pretty.

"Oh. Still though, I want one…"

"We're here," Omi said, indicating to a large pagoda with bronze dragon statues on either side of the door and cherry trees on either side of the steps up to it.

"Pretty," I said, looking over the red roof tiles and smiling.

"Don't let it fool ya, it ain't that big," Clay warned, going up the steps and into the house. We followed him into a large room with many two whole walls-the back and the right side-made of panes of glass.

"It's nice in the morning," Rai murmured, reading my thoughts. "If you get up that early.

"I bet," I replied softly, stepping onto the huge braided rug in the center of the room. "Where d you guys sleep?"

"There are little rooms that way," Kimi said, motioning to our left, where a long hall led to small cubicles. "We don't have any extras, though."

"Don't worry about it," we assured them, flopping down on the floor. They shrugged and went to find blankets and whatever else they could spare so we'd at least be comfortable tonight. I threw my bag in the corner and sat in the middle of the floor, crossing my legs Indian style so I can sit and rest. My hands rested, palms up and open, on my knees. Kirsten came over and sat with me, our breathing calm and in sync.

"I hope he lets us stay," Kirsten said, breaking the silence. I opened my eyes halfway to show that I'd heard her.

"I do, too. You like that Clay dude, don't you?" I was smiling by the end of the sentence and I felt Kirsten's aura get warm and agitated.

"…It's not like you haven't already picked your favorite!" It was my turn to blush. 1

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I protested, although we were both already giggling.

"You do to! You _do to_! I can tell, don't think I can't! He likes you, too." The smile was off her face with almost comic quickness.

"Mmm…I sense a disturbance in your chi…I want you to pretend you are a mountain goat high in the Himalayas." I closed my eyes and began swaying, putting on a fake Indian accent. "You are starving…look! A poor Shepard boy has taken pity on you and offered you the last of his bread…" My eyes popped open, wide in cinematic panic. "But wait! The bread is laced with hemlock! As you eat, you fall into convulsions…"

"And die," we finished together.

"Never fails; that always makes me laugh!" It was an old, old piece we'd made up back when we started as monks and we'd make fun of our master's techniques. She grew serious yet again. "But all kidding aside…I don't think we're staying here long…"

"I dunno. Right now, I'm just tired. I wanna eat, I wanna shower, and I wanna get some sleep." The mask of leaderly confidence fell off and Kirsten slumped.

"I do, too. I dunno anymore, Maya. Life is spiraling out of control, we got our asses kicked by a vegetable, and I can't even secure a safe place to stay for us." I put my arms around her.

"Hey. It's okay. Being the oldest sucks. You got sucked into a leadership you didn't want. But, A; Life's not your fault, B; beans are technically part of the meat family, and C; who says this ain't safe?"

"Safe for how long? He's gonna kick us out and you know it!" I grabbed Ki's hands in mine.

"Kirsten. Listen. You're looking too far ahead again. We're safe for now. Let tomorrow come, we'll worry about it then. We don't have enough time to freak about stuff that hasn't happened yet."

"But we have to plan-"

"No, we don't. Sit down, calm yourself, let's get some beds, eat, sleep, and look at this ugly mess tomorrow." She nodded, right as our new friends reentered, holding blankets, pillows, and three sleeping mats.

"We dug these up," Kimi said, laying them before us. "Sorry we couldn't find more."

"It's fine," Ki assured her, reassuming her cool, leaderly air. "Maya, could you divide them up?" I nodded and stood.

"I'll help," Rai offered. "Omi, run and get the animals some food and water? What time is it?" As the younger monk scampered off, Rai asked the question to no one in particular. Clay examined the sky a moment.

"Six-thirty, maybe? Six-forty? Dinner's at seven," he added to us. "You're late, there's a good chance here won't be any extra food." We nodded and I set to silently counting out pillows and blankets. I threw my pile-none too neatly-in the center of the room and gestured for Ki to take hers once Rai was done stacking hers up. She carried it to one of the glass corners and dropped her rucksack beside it.

We stood around awkwardly, not really knowing what to do next. Omi returned with water, some meat for Davie and a bit of fish for Chuva.

"Will this do?" he asked us, setting the food and water down on the floor. He was almost bowled over by the enormous Shepard as he muscled his way in to eat.

"He seems fine with it," Kirsten replied wryly. "Chuva can eat fish, right?" I nodded.

"S'long as he don't choke on it." We all wandered over to the center of the room and sat down, talking about nothing specific for about ten minutes. Finally, Kimi stood and stretched.

"Let's go. We might as well eat."

"I can't wait for a little action," I said, jumping up and down a few times. I hated sitting around doing _nothing_.

"Don't count on it," Omi put in, shaking his head. "We haven't had a Wuu sighting in ages."

"Yeah, you guys won't see much action around here, unless Fung decides it's time for the apocalypse and let's us go to the city for a party," Rai joked, walking backwards from where he was at the front so he could see us.

He was approaching a large pole, but I glanced at Ki and shook my head ever so slightly, grinning. She returned the grin and shared in the laughter when Rai smacked against the pole with a metallic _thwang_ and jumped around, holding the back of his head and muttering Portuguese under his breath.

"Sorry, menino_(boy)_, I can't watch your back all the time," I laughed, passing him cockily.

"Shut up, you saw it coming," he hissed.

"I did. Maybe you should've been focusing on putting one foot in front of the other instead of trying to show off for me." He shrugged and caught up with me, his previous humiliation already forgotten.

"I'll get you back eventually," he protested. It was then that I tripped over his outstretched foot and went sprawling in the dust. "Clumsy, clumsy…" he murmured, shaking his head and racing forward to avoid my fist.

**Raimundo**

I'd like to take this moment to thank the good Lord. I am not religious. At all. But right now, God has officially earned some major points in my book. Life is lookin' up around here since those three showed. And-here's another thing-one is Brazilian! YES! SCORE! I cannot believe my luck; I've haven't even had a bed for almost three years and all of a sudden Maya is here. Oh…wait. I've just been told that I have to _tell the story_ here, or Ki's gonna decommission my laptop use.

So we went to dinner. We ate pretty much in silence, because honestly, none of _us_ knew what Fung meant by "You won't be here long." We were gonna have some major issues if he turned them away. See rant above for reasons why. I kept stealing glances at Clay, who retuned them with shrugs and wordless reassurance. Even though I wasn't hungry, I ate bowl after bowl of food, just to keep my hands busy.

Finally Master Fung stood and motioned for the elder monks to leave so he could speak to us alone. Eyes flickered around the table, seeking out trust.

"First, allow me to welcome our eastern sisters," Master Fung started, gesturing to the girls, who bowed their heads respectfully. "Now, as you four know, we haven't been getting any calls to Wuu lately. There is a reason for it.

"Hannibal Bean and Chase Young have given up on using Wuu to take over the world. With no one left to fight for it, it has fallen into dormancy. With luck, you will never see another Xiaolin Showdown." He was quiet for a moment, to let the shock sink in.

"Wow…" Kimi murmured. "Are you serious?"

"Quite. But that does not mean that the battle is over. It has merely taken a new face. They are beginning to employ teens-people your age or older-from schools all over the world. They want to build an army."

"No one'll ever go for it," Clay protested. "They ain't that stupid."

"Actually, some already have. They are targeting those who grew up in poverty, on the streets, offering them a safe place to stay, food, and money. The promise of glory is enough for some." The room got deadly quiet and I could feel eyes on me as I bowed my head in shame. Maya and Kristen looked at each other funny, which was understandable, since they didn't know at all.

"As I was saying," Master Fung continued, calling the attention off of me. "They are pulling from schools. So, it has come to my attention that you are in the wrong place to combat this new evil." He paused again, to let us work out what this meant. I had it all figured out already, and from the looks of it, so did Clay, Kimi, Kirsten, and Maya. Omi was still working on it.

"Don't strain yourself, chrome dome," I teased.

"We are being sent to this…school?" he guessed, and Master Fung nodded.

"I am sending you to school in America. You-all of you-will be attending the Maryland School for the Young Arts in about one week. Pack, for those of you who have made this your home. And stick together. You are all Dragons of this temple now, and I expect you to treat each other as such." I drummed my fingers on the table. Yes. Another thing to be happy about. We were finally going to be free from this temple and back in the middle of the real world!

Don't get me wrong. My training was something I wouldn't give up for the world-I was saving it from destruction! But I was made for the streets-and the parties. It was something I missed about home.

Master Fung dismissed us and we walked back to the House together. I felt the urge to hang back with Maya and Ki, but I had to stay up front, else someone else might run into a pole. They're pretty nasty, you know.

So I stayed up front, goofing off with Clay and watching Omi try to get some sayings right. To his credit, he was finally getting better-after three years. Oh well. These things take time. Still, I kept an ear on the two in the back.

"I like them," Ki murmured.

"I know you do," Maya put in slyly. She must've received a punch then, because this was followed by an "Ow!"

"Hey Rai, could you come back here for a sec?" Kirsten called.

"Kirsten Isabelle Jay, I will kill you and lock your soul inside an effing _toilet_ if you-" Maya fumed, but I stuffed my hands in my pockets and stopped, waiting for them to catch up.

"Whaddaya need?" I asked smugly, noting how Maya straightened at my approach.

"I just wanted to ask who the leader is," Ki told me, grinning. I shrugged.

"You're talkin' to him."

"Oh, God save our souls," Maya muttered. I ignored her. Kirsten blinked.

"Wow. I was not expecting that." I grinned.

"Believe me, neither were we. Omi about had a conniption when we found out. It was about two years ago…I guess you're the leader?"

"How did you _guess_? Was it the fact that she walks in front of me? Or maybe that she's got that whole 'I'm a-gonna kick your ass if you don't listen' air, or what?" Maya asked with playful sarcasm. Ki tackled her and, after a short scuffle, Maya pinned Ki down and happily pulled her back up again. "Pinnedja again," she crowed, running forward and back-flipping. Kirsten followed her, but she was smart and did a triple flip off of a wood frame that contained a dogwood tree. They landed facing each other, and Kirsten spouted off nonsense words that I realized, after Clay gasped for about the sixth time, were actually English.

"Those are some pretty big words for a lady," he began, but Ki snapped her fingers at him.

"Let me focus."

"What did she say?" I asked, and then Maya began speaking rapid Portuguese, repeating everything she said so I could understand it. When she finally fell silent, still circling Ki, I blinked a few times.

"Repeat that last one?"

"No thanks, I'm not too fond of that one myself."

"Understandable." We watched them circle like jungle cats, looking for openings in their opponent's stance. For being best friends, they sure knew how to go at each other. "How much English do you know?"

"Not much more than that, and definitely not enough to pass at this school we're goin' to." Her eyes finally went toward mine; I could tell she was the kind of person who didn't like not facing the person she spoke to. Unluckily, I was directly behind her at the moment. I probably should've just shut my trap right then, but I didn't.

She looked back toward me, just over her shoulder, and Ki pounced like tiger, landing a heavy blow to Maya's right shoulder that probably would've knocked her down if she hadn't moved. They threw themselves at each other, a flurry of punches and kicks, but they were masterful.

Their powers were too extraordinary to use in battle. There was no occasional dirt in the eyes, no breeze to redirect a punch somewhere less painful, no hot sparks to distract with, and no water to splash. It was full-frontal fist fighting.

"Enough." The phrase was sharp, two syllables that brought the fight under control immediately. Master Fung stood nearby, but he actually looked angry. "Kirsten, Maya, I would appreciate it if you would not fight until I get a chance to gauge your powers. I'd prefer if there were no accidents." They dropped their heads and muttered apologies. "To bed with you six," he ordered gently. "Tomorrow morning, you shall pack. And two days from now, you'll take a private jet into the States to begin your training."

"Huh. Wow. Kirsten…"Maya wheedled.

"What?" she was obviously annoyed, and knew exactly what Maya was going to ask.

"Can you cheat a little and…?"

"Fine. C'mere. I'm gonna assume the rest of you know English…wait, Rai, do you want it, too?" I was a little confused, but then I realized that she must be asking me if I wanted a quick way to learn English. She touched her fingers to our temples, and it was done.

"Are you sure this worked?" I asked, rubbing my forehead. I was a little sore, but otherwise none the worse.

"Say something in English," she replied dryly.

"Something…in English," I repeated almost reflexively-in perfect English.

"I'd have to say it did. Wow this accent is screwy," Maya muttered under her breath. "Eu como isto melhore…porque nao posa nos uso Portugues?_(I like this better…why can't we use Portuguese?)_"

"Pergunta boa_(good question)_," I put in. English was weird to use, especially since I still had my Brazilian accent.

"Because I said so," Kirsten replied, smirking widely. "It's funny watching you guys mispronounce words." I bristled.

"I'm a leader, too, you know. We could settle this right now, just for simplicity…" I squared my shoulders, although that just went to show that I was only a little taller than her.

"O Rai, por favor, no. Deixou-o ir._(Rai, please, no. Let it go)_" I didn't back off, but I did when she added a desperate mutter to keep peace. "Amigo…? Para mim? _(Friend? For me?)_" She just wanted me to lay off Ki…or was that all?

All six of the monks went to bed exhausted. They stayed up late into the night talking and laughing, and when they decided to hit the hay, they all did, right in the middle of the main room. Blankets were dispersed and everyone slept in their clothes. The next morning, Ki, who was the first one up, roused Maya gently.

"Maya…sweetie…wake up before I pour water all over you." She didn't respond. "Maya. Dammit, wake up, Rai wants to tell you something."

"Why you talkin' like that?" Maya asked. Her brain was instantly translating to English, but she didn't know. She thought she was still in Mandarin. "You know I don't speak English." Rai sauntered over and stood over the sleeping girl. He was wearing what he usually wore around the temple when he wasn't training-a pair of cutoffs and a white muscle tee. A medallion dangled off a gold chain around his neck.

"Okay, I guess my profession of love can wait till you pick up English," he teased in a somber voice. Maya sat straight up-she just became very aware of the conversation she'd been carrying on, and suddenly it made sense.

"Oh damn. Looks like I know it a little better than you thought. I'll take my love oath now." He grinned at her, and his eyes glittered mischievously.

"I got me a girlfriend. Thanks, menina." He winked at her over her shoulder and swaggered off. Maya and Kirsten looked at each other. Maya opened her mouth, but her friend held up a hand.

"Don't lie. Don't lie. You can say it, but don't you _dare_ lie.

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**Okay, here's the first chappie. I don't know if I like it that much, but I'll leave it the way it is. Review, I'll try to update soon know that I'm ungrounded. :P**


	3. America the Beautiful

**Thank you for reviews and such, and, as usual, I still don't own the temple or those who reside in it. Darn. NOTE: I'm going to do this story from third person, now. I dunno why, but it's just frustrating to use rotating perspectives for this one.**

**A/N: This begins with monks on a plane. It's like Snakes on a Plane, only it's not a blockbuster tardcake. **

Chapter 2-America the Beautiful

"Faster. Faster than that. More. C'mon, is that all you got? Harder! God, you're not gonna hurt me, now HARDER!" Kirsten brought a hand back and threw it right into the core of her sparring partner, who was asking for a beating. Maya faltered a few steps and fell backward from loss of balance. She came up grinning. 

"That's it," the girl murmured, rubbing the on her chest where she'd been hit. "Good shot."

"You were asking for it. Did I hurt you?"

"Nah. A bruise, maybe. Who's next?" The two placed their hands on their hips and looked at their new friends, who were watching with mixed degrees of of shock. 

"Do you two ever stop?" Clay finally asked, touching his hat to his heart.

"Only occasionally, but that's when we sleep, so it doesn't really count." Kirsten's joyous tone fell into order immediately as she saw Master Fung approach. "Master." She and Maya bowed a little.

"Hello Kirsten, Maya. Practicing?" The two nodded, and Master Fung turned his baldness to his original students. "Are you packed?" They all affirmed their packedness. "Good. Their will be a private plane arriving shortly to take you to the United States. When you get there, you will not be subjected to security, so take all the Wuu you need or think you'll require. 

"Then, you will be given identification and driver's licenses, since you're all of age. You will be driven to the school's campus, and you will attend school in two days, since you will be arriving later today, which is a Friday. I thought you'd need some time to settle in. Understood?" His monks, his responsibility, his _family_ nodded easily. They were all savvy of this world that he would be awkward and shy in. Well, except for Omi, but he was young enough to adapt. They were not fazed by the fact that they would be alone in this new city, in a new environment. He would be. He couldn't follow them into battle this time. This was not his time, not his fight. The torch was passed.

He did not bother to tell them that they couldn't get help from him anymore. He knew _this_, of all things, would scare them the most. But they were truly alone in their fight now, he could just hope he had raised them right.

--

The monks were on the private plane that had been sent for them. As was promised, the pilot asked no questions as he helped them board-he'd been payed too much to notice the strange weapons being brought aboard. The animals-Chuva and David-were boarded into the hold also. 

Maya and Kirsten had little of value between them-both had a little sentimental jewelry that they wore with them so as not to lose it, but other than that, all they owned were clothes and a few electronics-their laptop, an iPod. Clay was much the same way-he had been ready enough to leave his home in the beginning that he didn't pack much, and anything he would have wanted back them was trivial now except for clothes and a few old photographs. Omi had nothing, not 

even clothes to wear outside, because all he'd ever needed were his robes. Rai was better off, but not by much. A few sets of clothes, his iPod, which he prized among anything else, and one other thing-the medallion hanging from his neck.

Kimiko was a completely different story. She had clothes for every day of the year and almost enough electronics to match. What would you expect from her? Either way, most of them didn't have clothes that fit well-they'd grown much in five years-taller, more muscular, more defined-what still fit was once huge. They'd resolved to go shopping immediately once they got to the states-there was no doubt styles had changed, too.

But for right now, they were just a bunch of teens…alone…on a plane…for the next eight hours…and there was a fridge…full of sugar. It don't take a rocket scientist to guess what was gonna happen. First sign of chaos-Maya and Kirsten figured out how to make their iPod play form the plane's speaker system. They set it to shuffle, and there was enough material to last them the duration of the trip. Then someone pulled a pack of cards out from nowhere and they played poker and shot cards with Mountain Dew and Pepsi for an hour or so. 

Omi was amazed by this flying machine-almost as much as he had been to learn that milk normally came from cows. He was a bit uncomfortable with it, but the rest were at ease and some Rai and clay actually clocked out close to the end of the flight. Because they had boarded in late afternoon, they flew over the ocean in darkness. Paris was slipping beneath them when Kirsten looked up from the book she was reading.

The cabin, which was more like a room than a real cabin, was dimly lit with a handful of overhead lights. Clay, sitting across from her, was leaning against the wall, his hat tipped low over his eyes. Omi had his face glued to the window, watching the glittering city pass beneath them, and Kimiko was curled up in the seat next to him. Rai had flipped up the armrests on a whole row of seats and reclined in complete relaxation, his eyes closed. Maya too had her eyes closed, but her mouth moved every once in a while. She was either singing or speaking to herself, but it was apparent that she was restless. 

The Dragon of Life stood up and pulled a guitar case from the overhead and touched the brass clippings. They released at her touch and the case opened to reveal a shiny acoustic. As she'd predicted, Maya's eyes opened.

"Play me a song, Ki-La," she murmured, smiling sleepily.

"Only if you dance," Kirsten bargained. Maya frowned. "Oh, come on. It'll relax you. Be good for you. How long has it been since you danced, menina?"

"I don't wanna," Maya replied mulishly. "I'll be all outta practice and terrible and besides…"she faded into silence, but Kirsten filled in the rest. She didn't want to dance in front of Rai if there was a good chance she wasn't up to par anymore.

"I'll make him leave," Kirsten replied soothingly. Maya was coiled tighter than a spring, and she wanted her to relax. "Dance." The command brought the embarrassed Brazilian to her feet, and Kirsten, satisfied, sat in a better position to play. She played a simple set of chords to warm up and then began a song the knew Maya liked, a song from their childhood together. _Cirandero_ was a song sung by children when they played.

It got her moving faster than anything, and Kirsten was proud to see that time had neither stolen her guitar skills or made Maya's dancing rusty. Her playing woke Clay and Rai and turned Omi and Kimi's attention away from the windows, and Maya's dancing held them. The bells around Maya's ankle jingled softly in time to her stepping, and soon a soft voice joined the guitar. 

"O Cirandero, Cirandero o, a pedra du ci eneil brihla mais du que o sol... _(Oh dancer, dancer oh, how the rock that you wear shines more brightly than the sun)_"Rai grinned and motioned for Maya to keep going, for she had faltered in surprise. His voice rose and became steady. "Estasi randa que mi de foi Maya que morana ihla de'ita Maracai!_(This is the dance that I learned from my love Maya on the island of Maracai!)"_ Kirsten laughed softly to herself. The name in the song was supposed to be Lia.

As the song came to a close, Maya sat down huffily, trying, Kirsten thought, pretty hard not to look in Rai's smiling eyes.

--

In Maryland, it was warm. Spring was coming, and the air was damp from a recent rainstorm when the monks landed at the Maryland International airport. It was nearly twelve thirty at night, but since they'd all slept at some point on the plane, they were ready to go, if a little stiff. 

"Stick around, chrome dome," Rai teased, tugging the collar of the shirt the young monk had changed into. They were all dressed down in street clothes, and Omi was struck dumb by both the sheer magnitude of the city they were in-Annapolis-and the amount of people just inside the terminal. "You get lost in here, we're never gonna find you again." His eyes grew huge.

"Really?" Rai's face was dead serious. 

"Really really." 

"Shut up, Rai," Kimi grinned, ushering Omi along as they moved through the terminal. "You won't get lost. Just use your head."

"There are so many_ people_," Omi murmured, his moment of fear forgotten. "And so many kinds…look Raimundo, that man is much like you!" Omi was referring to a Hispanic attendant. Rai clamped his hand over the younger boy's mouth.

"Case it, Om, it ain't nice to say that crud," he instructed. Omi nodded and his mouth was released. "Just play it cool." Kirsten, who was much at ease with airports, trundled along, exchanging words with Clay. Maya walked in the middle of the group and listened to everyone around them. She was just as new with airports as Omi. 

"Okay," Kirsten instructed once they were in the lock between the terminal and the outside. She leapt up onto a bench. "Kimi and Omi, aka, brother and sister coming in from Tokyo. Go." They nodded and walked out of the terminal and into the dark, where a car was waiting for them. 

The Maryland Institute rarely got many new students. Six in one year-let alone one semester-would be amazing. So they went in groups and were registered separately. Kimi and Omi, as well as Rai and Maya, were transfer students who were exceptional in their schools back home and therefore were transferring to an elite American school. Clay and Kirsten were both elect students from high schools in Texas. They were all leaving an hour apart to prevent drawing any unwanted attention from the Heylin force-the point of this was to infiltrate schools without detection.

"Me and Clay will go next, Rai and Maya, you have two hours to chill here before you have to be at the school. Kimi, me, and Maya have cell phones. Call me when you get in, okay?" Maya nodded and touched the phone in her pocket. 

"Why do you guys have cell phones?" Kirsten fixed Rai with a withering glare.

"We _girls_ have cell phones because we won't lose them." Rai backed down. "Let's go get a bite to eat. Anyone hungry?" Everyone raised their hands. They went to a McDonalds in the 

airport and ordered as much as they could-flying seemed to take a lot out of all of them, with the exception of Raimundo.

"That's gotta be cheating," Clay muttered darkly, pretending to riffle through a rulebook as Rai reclined in a bar chair grinning cattishly around a Big Mac. "We're all wasted and you're fine."

"Frequent flier rewards, my brother," Rai crowed. "Gotta love 'em." Maya and Kirsten finished their food in silence and left the boys to their own devices after a strict lecture on why not to walk off. 

"Niether of you loose sight of where we are," Kirsten instructed, crossing her arms. 

"Yeah, 'cause if we can't find you when we wake up, we're leaving," Maya added seriously. "You guys promise?" They nodded and the girls, satisfied, walked over toward a seating area to curl up on the chairs and rest. An hour later Kirsten woke Maya and the two searched the area for Clay, who was found quickly. Rai was close behind, and they once again traipsed to the lock to bid the two Americans goodbye. 

As soon as the car was off, Rai collapsed into a chair and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. 

"Uhhhhh…I wanna _sleep_," he moaned. Maya sat down beside him and grinned. 

"You effing faker. You're just as whipped out as us."

"No shit!" 

"Well, why don't you sleep it off so we'll be ready to roll when we get to the academy?" She got no answer. Rai was already dozing against his palms.

* * *

**Hi! I posted two chapters at once, so see any notes at the end of next chapter, but I do have one quick thing to say. The dog and cat owned by Maya and Ki no longer exist. It was so stupid of me to give them animals and then put them in a boarding school. Sorry. I'm phasing them out of past chapters soon. ;p One other thing-I do not doubt I massacred the spelling in that song…I was writing it by pronunciation, since I didn't have the text with me at the time.**


	4. The Gym Class Hero

**Chapter the third, up and running. To anyone who wonders, I spelled Brackston like that on purpose…I like the way it looks. ;p **

Chapter 3: The Gym Class Hero

"Uniforms" is a four letter word. Not eight. Four. Because when the six monks walked into the main building on Monday, they were dressed in clothes that instantly labeled them as outsiders. Now, at MIYA, the uniform was optional, but almost everyone wore it. Not only did these outsiders walk down their halls making noise and wearing garish street clothes, but they sat down, with backpacks and notebooks, in a homeroom that their presence instantly doubled the population of. 

"Schedules…" Kirsten murmured, distributing a sheaf of papers to each of her varied companions. "Classes are mixed, we won't be together for anything, hardly…wait a sec here." Kirsten dropped her own papers on her desk. "They have gym here," she spat in a low, venomous tone. Clay laughed.

"You can't be serious. You? Don't like gym? You're in top shape, I'd think you'd love it!"

"But she doesn't," Maya supplied. "I dunno why, she doesn't mind going out and working out at a gym, she doesn't mind sprints or training…just not gym."

"Speaking of classes…I have drum line with you, amor_(love)_," Rai smirked, holding up his folded schedule at Maya. Her eyes darted around the room, but it was obvious no one understood Portuguese here but her, Rai, and Kirsten.

"Escute, menino. Eu nao sou seu amor_(listen, boy. I am not your love)_," she hissed. Rai chuckled.

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say. I drive you crazy." He then bolted up, because Maya was after him like a cat on a mouse. During the stir, Clay calmly looked at his schedule. 

"I have mixed chorus with you, Ki, look." Kirsten nodded.

"Great! Now, I'll stop mine if you catch yours while it's still running." They shared a grin and launched into the fray with their two friends, and managed to get them both settled down just before the teacher arrived. Rai did have to be hit several times over the head during the course of the period, however, to keep him from grinning smugly at Maya from across the room. 

--

Gym came in a blur after four periods of other classes; poetry, photography, creative writing, and drum line. Maya had seen an interesting individual in photography and was anxious to see him again, and found, just after she changed, that it was her luck he was in her gym class along with Ki.

"Hey Kiki!" she yelled, dropping her books along the side of the gym and running to hug the taller girl. "How's your day been?"

"Wonderful…" Kirsten replied, the dreamy look on her face still in place. "There was this guy in my pottery class…his name is Myles and he's _wonderful_, he's got a face like an angel and he's completely into me." Maya grinned. 

"That does sound wonderful. Does that mean I can have…that?" Maya pointed a mischievous finger behind Kirsten. 

The boy was tall, somewhere very near six feet, wearing a pair of silver-white basketball shorts and a tight black shirt that hugged his sides and showed off his runner's physique. He was white, but he had a tan, muddy blond hair and straight, dancing brown eyes. He dribbled a basketball in a relaxed manner while grinning at a friend. Kirsten's jaw slowly dropped. 

"Hel-lo _beautiful_. I'd pledge allegiance to _that_." she murmured, putting her right hand over her heart like saluting the flag. 

"I know. He's minez," Maya whispered back. "He was just wearing jeans and a shirt earlier, and I about died then."

"What _is he_?"

"By all accounts, human! His name is Brackston Rivers and just about every girl in this school wants him _so bad_. I even caught a Gothic Queen of Darkness looking him over." As the two girls stood there and watched him, another group of about five came out of the locker room. The leader's eyes were on Maya in a second. It was Candace Johnson, _the_ queen of the school, and the whole school knew she had marked Brackston for her own the second she laid eyes on him. However, Brackston remained so stubbornly single, waiting for "the right girl". 

So sweet little Candace almost clawed someone's face off like the cat she was when Brackston caught sight of the two new girls and strolled over. He surely noticed that the two were staring, but he was either used to it, or too polite to say anything. 

"Hey," he greeted them, the orange ball stilling in his hands.

"Hi," they chorused. 

"You two new here?" At their nod, he grinned and nodded. "I thought so. I'm Brackston, and _you_," he gestured to Maya. "Are in my photography class."

"I know. Anyone ever tell you how tall you are?"

"All the time. Five-eleven kinda draws attention like that. Are you…?"

"Brazilian."

"I was going to guess that. I heard we got two Brazilian honors students, but I haven't met the guy yet. You know him?"

"Yeah, his name's Raimundo. I'm Maya."

"And I'm Kirsten," Ki put in. Brackston turned to acknowledge her.

"I've never seen you before."

"I don't have any classes with you so far. I'm from Texas."

"Yeah? I'm from Manhattan." There was a pause and Brackston looked down. "Look, this might sound kinda…_stereotypy_, but…can you dance?"His face lit in a slow Chessie smile and his eyes took on a very different light from jacking around with his friends. 

"Can birds fly?" Maya flirted back. "I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for my feet." Brackston dropped to his knees and looked at her feet. 

"Thank you. Thank you so much. You have no idea…" He was interrupted by a shrill whistle and jumped up quickly. "That's the coach. Let's go. Maybe you can show me some steps sometime, huh, shorty?" He shot her a quicker grin and loped off, leaving a sweet, heady scent in his wake. 

"Whoa," the two girls breathed together. 

"Whatcha s'pose he wears for cologne?" Maya asked, eyes still glazed slightly. 

"I thought you hated being called short," Kirsten teased, and Maya turned to look at her. 

"Would _you_ hate being called short by that?" she challenged. 

"No," Kirsten blushed, her eyes hitting the floor. 

"And you ain't even short. Let's run, I need to sweat off some energy before I explode." 

They ran laps and played basketball all period, and Kirsten and Maya tailed Brackston closely. He seemed more than pleased to pull strings with friends…it seemed that he and Maya, at least, were always on the same team. The two shone as ladies in an art school gym class and drew massive attention. After changing out of their issued gym uniforms, they found a nice 

surprise. Brackston leaned against the far wall, eyes half closed and changed into a pair of torn-kneed jeans and a navy shirt with light blue and white accents-a Hurley tee. 

"Hey. I gotta question for you, Maya," he told her, slinking forward. Girls around stilled as Candace's smiling face became a frown. "You. Me. Tonight in the dance hall. Show me some street moves from down south?"

"'Pends on how well you can dance yourself," she replied. 

"Pretty well, for a white guy."

"Then I guess it's…a date."

"Six o clock."

"Six."

"See ya round, shorty."

"Any time, Yankee." He gave a laugh over his shoulder as he and the posse he seemed to attract strode off to lunch. Kirsten pretended to tear up.

"Oh…my little Brazi, all grown up and dating on her own," she moaned. "I fell so…_old_." Maya grinned. 

"Shut _up_, Kirsten. You haven't even dated anybody yet." Kirsten straightened and wiped the feigned sadness off her face with comic speed.

"I know. I'm asking Myles out tomorrow. Your boldness has inspired me."

"Her boldness is going to get her killed," a cold female voice spoke. They whirled to see an unfamiliar girl. "I'm going to warn you once…" her sky blue eyes trailed down Maya's ruddy street clothes and dark complexion, and Maya became uncomfortable for the first time with the fact that she and Rai were few and far between at this school. "_Latino_." The girl finished her sentence like the phrase was a dirty piece of muck stuck to her shoe. "Because you're new. Brackston is mine, and if you think you're going to steal him with some dirty dance moves from crack-fueled clubs on the streets of _wherever_ you came from, you've got another thing coming to you. He's got class. You're some street urchin playing artistic." Maya bristled. 

"Which totally explains why I'm showing him my "dirty dance moves" while you're stuck pirouetting all by yourself. Totally and completely, vanilla bean." The two started to walk away, but Maya turned smoothly on her heel once more. "By the way…I don't think you get this…guys like a little chocolate every now and again, too. Keep you chin up, vanilla. Maybe a more acceptable guy will float on down the river for you someday." 

Candace opened her mouth and started to yell something back, but the sound of footsteps sounded behind her and she turned, sliding a sweet grin onto her model's face. It was Brackston, tapping his toe on the ground enough to get her attention. His arms were crossed and he didn't look happy at all. 

"Brackston! Hi!"

"Nice try, Candy," he spat at her. "I never pegged you as racist, but…" he took a step forward. "I think you better leave Maya and her friends alone. A little color never did anything to anyone. Sides, I think the right thing for me might be something totally different for once." Brackston strode off and Candace began to hate Maya. Maya earned herself an enemy, a boyfriend, and a free ride into the school's spotlight for the trouble of the both of them. 

--

At lunch, both girls were thoroughly dazed about their new loves, which put the Clay and Rai, who, as I'm sure you've noticed, harbored soft spots for the two, on high alert. Kimi watched in amusement, and Omi was just trying to understand his friends' flustered states. 

"So…this Myles," Clay began, at the same time Rai started, "About this Brackston guy…" They looked at each other and played mental rock-paper-scissors.

"As I was saying," continued victorious Clay. "Myles. Who is this guy?" Kirsten looked out over the crowd until she spotted the boy she was looking for.

"Him." The group followed a pointed finger across the lunchroom, where a group of upperclassmen were walking by, books and notes in hand.

"Which one?"

"The one with black hair."

"That one?"

"No, that's brown. The one with _black_ hair."

"Oh! Him?"

"Yeah."

"I hate him."

"Why!"

"He looks like a gothic half-dead…_thing_." Kirsten was indignant.

"He does not. He's just got individual style. Maya?"

"What?"

"Does he look gothic and/or half dead?"

"Ki…" she tipped back in her plastic orange chair. "You know our taste in men is totally different. I don't think he's all that attractive, but he does not either look half dead. And only slightly gothic." Kirsten grinned triumphantly. "I'm asking him out tomorrow." She was tremendously pleased with herself. Clay's mouth fell open and his eyes slid to Maya, who gave him a slight nod of sympathy. 

"You can't be serious."

"I can, and I am. Besides, why don't you ask Maya about her little encounter with Brackston Rivers?" Maya blushed deeply over her dark skin and bowed her head. 

"shut up before…" Too late, because Rai had already prickled. 

"Some…some _menino e branco_ is steppin' in on my girl!"

"I never was your girl," Maya pointed out softly. 

"Yeah…well…that doesn't mean you can go off dating any guy you want just because!" he threw a hand out as if to point out the many dangers of the guys in the cafeteria. "I'm _off_. See you guys later."

"Rai!" Kirsten, Kimi, and Maya all raised their voices against his retreat but he kept walking. Maya slumped and sighed.

"Hhhhh…what was that all about?" She looked around the table, but Omi and Clay didn't seem fazed, and Kimi would not meet her eyes. In fact, she looked angry with her as well.

"Not much," Clay reassured her. "He can get touchy when he hasn't had much sleep and been doing a lotta work. It'll pass. He's just worried about you."

"Suit yourself," Kimi huffed, standing up. "_I'm _going to go see what's wrong." They watched her leave in slight disbelief, and then Clay shook his head as if to rid himself of the strange incident.

"Okay, what's up with you and Brackston?"

"What, do you know him?" 

"Yeah, he's in my physics class."

"Physics?" Kirsten put in. "Really?" Clay turned to her drily. 

"Yeah. I though it'd be useful to know how hard to push boulders at people who want to kill me."

"But you can already do that!"

"Whatever you say. Anyway, he's in my physics class." Maya shrugged 

"He just asked me out, is all. It's not even really 'out'. He asked me to meet him tonight in the dance hall, wanted me to teach him some dancing that I learned at home." The cowboy looked concerned for her. 

"Are you sure? There's not many people around at night…"

"_Yes,_" Maya replied forcefully. "Come on, he's an upper class white guy at a performing arts school. What could he _possibly_ do? Besides, I'm a Dragon. If he pulls any funny stuff, which I'm not saying he will, I can hold my own against a kid." 

"A really tall kid," Kirsten added. 

"_Yes_, a really tall kid."

"Alright, fine by me." Clay put his hands up in a manner that said, 'if you trust him, I trust him'. "Let's go get some lunch before we waste the whole period." The remaining tablemates got up and went to get lunch, and Omi discreetly asked the question he'd had since the conversation started.

"Clay?"

"yeah little buddy?"

"Why is it so important that the girls be 'asked out' by a guy found suitable by you and Raimundo?"

"It's just a thing, Omi. You'll get it when you're sixteen."

"Oh." 

--

Kimiko found Raimundo sitting on a a flight of steps leading out into the courtyard, drinking an energy drink from a vending machine nearby.

"Rai?" He whipped his head around at the sound of his name, ready, she could see, to walk away, but he relaxed. 

"Oh. Hey, Kim." She sat down on the steps with him. 

"What was that, back there?" She asked, leaning forward to look at his face. He groaned and rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes. 

"Nothin'. I'm just…frustrated with Maya, a little." 

"Why?"

"I thought it was a sign, you know?" He tilted his head back and rested it on the wall he sat against, staring up at the blue sky. "I thought that, after three years of having no other people around, a pair of girls showing up was a sign that things were looking up. And, fancy that, one of them is Brazilian. It seems like such a sign, and then we go off to America to go to school…and she starts dating another guy." He paused to let the hand he'd been raising fall back with a _thump_, and looked at Kimi. "Sorry, does hearing this bug you?" She shook her head. "I dunno, Kim, I just dunno. Guess I'll have to try harder."

At hearing this, Kimi, who had always suffered a tender spot for the boy before her, felt a mixture of pity, sadness, and frustration. Pity for him-he could never have what made him happy without working so hard for it and sadness that it was ever more likely she wouldn't be the one he loved. Frustration because she had always been there and now he was taking off after the new girl.

"You got this Rai," she told him softly. If she couldn't make him happy herself, she could try to help him get what would. "You're a fighter, you got this in the bag." He grinned, eyes fixed on some distant point she couldn't see. 

"Thanks, Kim."

"Any time."

* * *

**Oh! What's this, you ask? Kim/Rai flame? Yes, my little sheep, yes. All in due time. In the mean time, review. I'm sorry for the long gap, I just got my new computer on track with this fic, so hopefully things will be faster now, but doing two in-progress fics is harder than I thought it would be. And please, if you see any inconsistencies with the character's schedules (i.e, someone having two different science classes or being in a class they weren't in before) point it out! That's a weak spot for me. Thanx.**

**tIGRE(ess)**


	5. Hiatus

Sorry. I'm on hiatus here for this story-might not finish it. I've been busy lately, and I kinda lost my spark for it, too. I might try again in a few months, but I don't know. I'm sorry to everyone reading it...


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